NEW YORK — Over the last two seasons, four pitchers have saved eight or more games for the Yankees. Three of those pitchers are now with the Mets.

The Mets might have a pitching lab in Port St. Lucie, Fla., but there’s a pitching pipeline that has suddenly developed over the last few years that goes from the Bronx to Queens. Luke Weaver became the latest arm to go from the Yankees to the Mets on Wednesday, signing for $22 million over two years. Weaver follows his former bullpen-mates Devin Williams and Clay Holmes to Flushing.

Weaver and/or Williams will be tasked with closing games for the Mets next season in the absence of Edwin Diaz, who signed a three-year, $69 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last week during the winter meetings in Orlando, Fla. While no one can truly replace Diaz, one of the best closers in baseball, if Williams can return to his Milwaukee form and Weaver can continue getting left-handers out, the back end of the bullpen will be solid, especially with left-handers A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley returning next season.

A 32-year-old right-hander who grew up in the same town as former Mets ace Jacob deGrom, Weaver was poised to become a breakout star after 2024 postseason when he went from a journeyman reliever to a World Series closer on baseball’s biggest stage, posting a 1.76 ERA in 12 playoff games with four saves and a hold. The Yankees claimed him off waivers from the Seattle Mariners in September of 2023, becoming the sixth organization Weaver would pitch for.

A first-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2014 draft out of Florida State, Weaver was drafted as a starter, but failed to find his footing. Weaver was designated for assignment by the Cincinnati Reds about a month before the Yankees claimed him off waivers. The Mariners signed him in late August, putting him in the bullpen for the first time in his career. Though the results weren’t immediate, they were good enough for the Yankees to chance on him.

In 2024, his first full season as a reliever, Weaver went 7-3 with a 2.89 ERA over 84 innings. He eventually challenged Holmes for the closer role.

Holmes is now starting for the Mets. Like Weaver, he was also a failed starter early in his career and the Yankees helped him reinvent himself as a reliever. The Mets signed him as a starter last winter, and he went to work adding pitches. It wasn’t exactly smooth sailing for the right-hander, but he finished the season strong and the Mets plan to keep him in the rotation in 2026.

Weaver has mostly neutral career splits, but his stuff plays well against left-handed hitters. Last season, he held lefties to a .176 average and a .580 OPS. He throws four pitches, including a mid-90s four-seam fastball and change-up that misses bats. He also brings a gregarious personality that should play well with the fans in Queens.

Weaver doesn’t come without concerns. He wasn’t the same pitcher after a hamstring injury last season, pitching to a 5.31 ERA over his final 40 games of the season, finishing with a 3.62 ERA and only eight saves. There were also concerns by Weaver that he was tipping pitches late last season and into the postseason.

But there is no true replacement for Diaz. The Mets opted against signing Robert Suarez, and the way they dealt with Diaz shows they aren’t looking to allocate $20 million a year for a closer.

Weaver doesn’t have to be Diaz, he just has to be himself.

Team USA snags two Mets

Holmes and rookie right-hander Nolan McLean are joining Team USA for the World Baseball Classic this spring. Minnesota Twins ace Joe Ryan was also added to the roster Wednesday.

Holmes is set to play Santa Clause at the team’s annual Kids Holiday Party on Thursday, while McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat will be elves. The event, put on by the Amazin’ Mets Foundation, will feature games, lunch and holiday crafts for nearly 140 students from schools around Queens. With the support of Operation Warm, students will also be given new winter coats.

Waiver claim

The Mets claimed catcher Drew Romo off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. A 23-year-old former first-round pick by the Colorado Rockies, Romo has played in 19 major league games. If social media is to be believed, Romo is excited for an opportunity with the Mets.

Left-hander Brandon Waddell was designated for assignment in a corresponding transaction.

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